On a snowy night just before Valentine's Day, Cultured Magazine held a February 3rd, 2025 edition of the party. It took place at Quarters, Tribeca Space, both a furniture store and a wine bar. The place was packed. Cover star, actress Christine Milioti was there, and partygoers took turns poses at the door and posed on the couch for a social media feed.
“There was unexpected support,” said Sarah Harrelson, founder of Cultured, who has worked throughout her career, including Instyle and Women's Wear Daily.
The first issue of Cultured, which combines the world of fashion and art, appeared in 2012 when Harrelson lived in Miami, where she worked for Ocean Drive Magazine and started a magazine supplement for the Miami Herald.
“Now, I remember, I was 38 and I was creatively bored,” she said. “I wanted to do something for myself, but I didn't have to be careful about the rules. Publications were standard.”
Independently produced printing magazines with a focus on fashion have experienced a kind of boomlet, creating a wave of their impressive designs and high quality production. Not only is it cultured, it also comes in L'Etiquette, Konfekt and polyester. These include some of the racks at Casa Magazines, West Village Periodical Store and MagCulture in London.
These magazines are no longer considered disposable or relics of the dying industry. “It's a luxurious experience of coming to you and getting a perspective that you didn't know what you wanted,” said Penny Martin, the gentleman editor who is said to have pioneered the revival of indie prints when it first began in 2010.
Búzio Saraiva is the associate publisher of nine independent magazines, including holidays and luncheons, and a Parisian company that works with other similar magazines. He is the founder of the company.
“The people behind independent magazines create material to last,” he said. “Someone gathers them, someone else buys one at the flea market and then creates a mood board.”
Saraiva sees these magazines as vehicles for stylists, photographers, celebrities and writers to show off their creativity in ways that mainstream magazines might not be able to. “It's a lab,” he said. “It's R&D for the creative industry. We've taken a decade ago and now we see people taking photos. Not everyone is doing triple checks to see if they've offended or not.”
At first glance, independent magazines use the same many celebrities that the magazines owned by Hearst and Condé Nast do their job. “It's often the same cover and talent, but interviewers and photographers can be completely different,” said Joshua Grass, who started the food and fashion magazine Family Style in 2023.
The big difference, Glass said, was creative independence. Like many other indie, family styles are mostly self-funded. “I try to see my moral integrity, my peers and those I employ,” he said.
“We're in black,” Glass added. “We don't fly private jets or take town cars. We're very lean and do things in a modest way.”
Generally, magazines such as culture and family style rely on methods that continue to float very similar to those of mainstream printed publications. They have advertisers who are willing to pay cheap prices for small magazines with younger viewers.
“The Tide has changed,” said Nick Fogelson, who founded the document for culture, arts and fashion magazines in 2012. This spring, Vogelson is adding a new magazine, a note on beauty.
“In my job, you call them supporters, not advertisers,” Martin said with a laugh. “It's not just because we show ads, but because special projects are called. There are other ways to work with partners who are culturally involved or looking for wealthy readers.” The gentleman held an architectural tour with COS in Los Angeles, including Vince and tours of Chelsea Physics Garden in London.
Here are 10 field guides for print magazines that are leaning towards fashion.
Beauty notes
In the first issue, in the spring of 2025, Inez and Vinoodh filmed Julianne Moore, filming a cover filled with red rose petals in their mouths. There are stories about ancient wellness rituals and essays that determine the writers refrain from cosmetic treatments.
AFM
A is “A”, “M” is “magazine”, and “F” represents something that cannot be printed. With the theme of “Tracking Happiness of Happiness,” Issue 001 came out last fall. Created by the dating app Feeld. Feeld is one of many companies, including the film platform Mubi and the cinema metrograph, creating print spinoffs for companies.
What if a fashion magazine is almost entirely fashion photos? The heroine's Fall 2024 issue features a brief interview with actors Finn Bennett and Noah Jupe, with the highlight being Alice McGrath, a model filmed by Fabian Cruzselniki and wearing a bunch of Celines.
culture
The latest issue has several covers, including one with Christine Milioti, who has an illuminated cigarette shot by Chris Cols. The themes are art and film, with interviews with director Luca Guadagnino, Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres and painter Torquaze Dyson.
Konfekt
Konfekt charges himself with a “magazine of sharp dressing, drinking, eating, travel and design.” Based in Zurich, it is often mid-European bent. Issue 17 includes a profile of a chef (country) in Georgia and a calligrapher in Paris, as well as an interview with Serbian-born fashion designer Dusan Paounovich.
Based in Paris, L'Etiquette focuses on personal style and the art of dressing. There are separate editions for men and women, and they are absolutely sold out on newsstands. Online, the Fashion World Residents panel will select your favorite IT bag. This turned out to be fun and quirky and beneath the radar.
polyester
Polyester has a playful energy and a pop visual aesthetic that reminds you of 1990s magazines. It's covered with some kind of fashionable feminist heroes, like 2024/2025 winter cover star Sofia Coppola, Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni, the host of the “All Outfits” podcast.
Patta
Pata, the magazine of the same name from Amsterdam Shop, has earned a cult following for music and streetwear coverage. The magazine focuses on Africa-European connections and gives a global view of culture. That Spring Summer issue features an interview with Congo-born director Balogi and an article about Lagos' rising EDM scene.
All editions of Midcentury Magazine Holiday were dedicated to another city. Writers included Truman Capote and Joan Didion. Fast forward to spring 2014, design studio Atelier Frank Durand was made by French publisher Lagardale to reclaim the magazine, so technically speaking, Holidays have not been published independently. It still chooses each city, and in autumn winter it is New York. The reprint of Joan Didion's essay, “Farewell to Everything,” has a vintage flavour, but there are also Tommy Dorfman and Marc Jacobs in conversation.
unconditional
“Women made it for women,” says unconditionally. The woman's gaze is clear. The article includes works about a Parisian lymphatic drainage practitioner and profile of fashion line diotima designer Rachel Scott.
